Heating, cooling, or ventilating apparatus



T. NEILSON.

HEATING, COOLING, OR VENTILATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1.920

Patented Dec. 6, 1921;

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- Fig.0.

T. NEILSON In verfior filler/761g- UNITED STATES PATENT orrlc e.

moms NEILsoN, or Lennon, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

Application filed February 10, 1920. Serial No. 357,733.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS NEILsON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heating, Cooling, or Ventilating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n heating, cooling, or ventilating apparatus, with especial. reference to the employment of such apparatus on board ships. It Wlll be clear that the same apparatus may be used either for heating, for cooling, or simply for ventilation purposes, and to avoid needless repetition the apparatus is spoken of hereinafter as heating apparatus, it being understood that it includes both ventilating and cooling plants.

According to this invention a fan is associated with a heating member and a mining chamber included within an outer casing; the heating member is preferably arranged as a horizontal tubular element bolted to suitable supporting plates and with hinged doors arranged on each side of the casing so as to open one at each side in order to give access to the tubes of the heating member. Further, the mixing chamber is constructed adjoining one side of the outlets of the heating member, this mixing chamber being formed by continuing a partition which brings a current of air from the cold we side of the air current so that it crosses with the air coming from the hot side of the heating member, the combined current then proceeding through a suitable valve to the delivery outlet. A control valve is embodied in the unit for regulating the amount of cool air. A humidifying pipe may be arranged for either steam or water spray,and it should be understood that a reversal of the air current may take place by providing suitable valves in connection with the air ducts. It should be understood thatthough preferably arranged with a horizontal heating member the invention is also applicable to a vertical tubular member for the heater, corresponding doors in the casing being provided to suit that construction, and in either case the heating member may readily be disconnected and removed altogether from the casing if desired.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood I will now describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section view on thein a plane indicated by the line 6-6 in Fig.

3;. and Fig. 7 is a part pictorial view of the apparatus, the temperature varying means being removed. I

Referring to these drawings, which illus trate a construction comprising the preferred embodiment of my invention as applied to a heating apparatus for ships, said apparatus having a single air inlet duct and a distributing port in the deck, supporting the said apparatus, the apparatus being used either as a means for supplying fresh air to the various compartments of the ship or for withdrawing foul air from such compartments.

The apparatus illustrated comprises the 11 known features of a fan and a temperature varying means unit structure, wherein a fan 1 draws in air from the air inlet 2, the passage connecting the same to the eye of the fan being controlled by a fan suction air valve 3, of the usual arcuate formation. The air passing through the fan is then directed to a temperature regulating valve 4 disposed substantially at the bottom of a vertical duct 5 and on reaching said valve 4 the stream of air is divided according to the extent of opening of such regulating valve, part of the stream being'diverted up the said vertical duct and subjected to the action of a humidifier 6, and the remainder to thedistributing port 7 in the supporting deck. The air passing up the vertical ductis meanwhile constrained to pass through a temperature varying means 8, and the stream of heated air is then directed to the aforesaid distributing port 7 in the supporting deck. where it meets the stream of air coming direct from the fan and tapped from the main stream by the degree of opening of the temperature regulating valve.

As is well known in the art, the temperature of the stream of air passing through the distributing duct is directly regulated by the valve 4, and according to the amount of the stream sucked through the air inlet duct 2 by the fan 1, and permitted to flow through the temperature varying means, so

is the air passing through the distributing duct raised or lowered in temperature above or below that of the atmosphere.

In order to obtain an efiicient working of such apparatus it is essential to obtain a proper mixing of the divided streams before they enter the distributing ducts, otherwise the result is that at the branches formed at the distributing port 7 in the supporting deck the two streams arrive side by side, and are merely parted, so that if it is a ship which is fitted with such apparatus, part is being supplied with the heated or cooled air and part by the air at atmospheric temperature sucked in from the air inlet, instead of being supplied throughout with the average-and a predetermined temperature.

New according to the present invention I provide means'to insure the proper mixing of the heated stream of air and the stream direct from the fan, before they pass through the distributing port 7 to the distributing ducts 10 leading therefrom.

Accordingly I dispose below the temperature varying means 8 a mixing chamber 9 wherein the two said streams mix and merge into a stream directed to the said distributing port. The courses of the two streams and the resultant stream are clearly defined by the arrows shown in Fig. 1, and it will be observed that the stream from the heating device intersects the stream from the fan.

When the apparatus is supplying air at a predetermined temperature to the various compartments on the ship, the fan suctionvalve 3 is moved into position by actuating its lever 3, so that the air duct 2 is in communication with the eye of the fan 1, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the regulating valve 4: is placed in the required-position by actuating the handle 4 so as to divide the stream flowing from the fan 1 in the well known way, and the discharge valve 11, movable about an axis on the floor of the mixing chamber by means of an actuating'lever 11 is in the vertical position, while the top trunk air valve 12 is also in the vertical position, thereby closing the communication between the top of the vertical duct 5 and the inlet 2; these positions of the valves 4, 11

and 12 are clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The air enters the fan 1 through the duct 2 from whence it is guided by the arcuate fan suction valve 3 to the eye of the fan, and from the fan casing to th regulatlng valve 4, where part of the stream passes up through the vertical duct 5 to the temperature varying means 8, and descends thence to the mixing chamber 9, while the remainder passes directly into the said chamber 9.

As the valve 11 does not extend across the chamber, the cool stream is further divided and passes each side thereof so that many eddying currents are formed and an eflicient mixing obtained, theresultant stream of air at predetermined temperature then passes through the'discharge port 13 to the distributing port 7 whence it is dispersed to the distributing ducts 10.

When the apparatus is used for exhausting air, the operation, which is well known,

is as follows The discharge valve 11 is moved through a right angle to close the discharge port 13, the temperature regulating valve 4 is moved to the vertical position, thereby closing the communication between the mixing chamber 9 and the casing of the fan 1; the top trunk air valve 12 is moved to the horizontal position, thereby opening communication between the top of the vertical duct and the inlet 2, which now becomes the exhaust port, and the fan suction valve 3 is moved about its axis so as to cut out the communication of the air inlet 2 to the eye of the fan, and to open communication between the distributing ports and the eye of the fan. In such positions the stream being exhausted flows from the distributing port 7 through a port 14 to the eye of the fan 1, to which it is deflected by the arcuate valve 3, thence through the fan up the vertical duct through the top trunk air port to the exhaust 2.

In constructions as above described I prefer to arrange that portions of the casing inclosing the temperature varying means may be readily removed for the purposes of repair, inspection, or cleaning of the latter. To this end I form the casing 15 at the front of the heater, with a detachable panel 16 which may be in the form of a hinged door bolted in situ when the apparatus is working, and to this panel or door I attach the necessary mountings for a valve 17 controlling the supply of the temperature varying medium to the temperature varying device and also the necessary mountings for outlet 18, trap 19, and condensation valve 20, as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1 and for use. if steam is the medium utilized. A considerable advantage of the invention is that the tubes can be readily changed in the temperature varying means while the latter+ remains in situ.

I have not described in detail the various elements such as valves, temperature varying means, ducts and the like used in the apparatus, made according to this invention, as these form no part of my invention except in so far as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim 1. An apparatus of the type referred to, comprising in combination,- a fan, means for supplying fresh air to the eye of the fan, a fan casing, a conduit leading from said casing to a vertical duct, a mixing chamber, a direct communication from the bottom of said vertical duct to said mixing chamber, a temperature varying means, a communication from said vertical duct to one side of said temperature varying means, a communication from the other side of said temperature varying means to said mixing chamber, a discharge control valve in the bottom of said mixing chamber and distribution ports communicating with said mixing chamber via said discharge control valve.

2. An apparatus of the type referred to having in combination a fresh air supply duct, a pivoted arcuate valve in said duct to form a conducting wall of said duct, a fan casing connected to said duct, with the eye of the fan toward said arcuate valve, and a casing comprising a vertical duct adjacent to and communicating with the fancasing, a temperature varying means, a mixing chamber below said temperature varying means, a wall of said vertical duct forming a wall of said mixing chamber, a hinged valve in said wall of the mixing chamber, a discharge control valve in the bottom of said mixing chamber, a communication between said vertical duct and one side of said temperature varying means and a comand means on said walls for controlling and circuiting a medium through said temperature varying means.

3. An apparatus of the type referred to,

having, in combination, an air supply duct,

a fan casing, a fan, and a casing comprising a vertical duct communicating with said fan casing, temperature varying means, a mixing chamber, a regulating valve and a discharge control valve for said mixing chamber, a communication for said vertical duct with one side of the temperature varying means, and a communication from the other side of said temperature varying means to the mixing chamber, all as set forth.

4. An apparatus of the type referred to, having, in combination, an air supply duct, an arcuate 'valvein said supply duct, a pivot axis therefor, means for rocking said valve about said pivot, a fan casing, a fan within said casing and the eye of the fan adjacent to and symmetrical of said pivot axis, a casing comprising a vertical duct, temperature varying means and a mixing chamber and valves for the mixing chamber, all as set forth, distribution ducts below said mixing chamber, a'communication between said distribution ducts and the air supply duct, a communication between the top of said vertical duct and the air supply duct, and a pivoted valve disposed to control said communication.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

THOMAS NEILSON. 

